People buy things from people. This is the way it has been, is now and will be through the 21^st Century and into the 22^nd Century! The technology we use can enhance that sense of contact and warm feeling that is important before any purchase is made.

It has been said that all things being equal, people buy from those they like. All things being unequal people still buy from those they like. To enhance this depth of feeling, we have to create a sense of community. This is different from the old stereotype of the derby hat, cigar-smoking , fast-talking salesman in the past who felt that he had to deceive or outsmart the potential buyers to make a sale.

Today things are different. We want to buy from those that are in our community. With technology and the tremendous advances of the Internet, we see our community as world-wide potentially, but narrowly focused on those that provide substantial value and benefits to use in our needs, desires and wants.

The television program Cheers delighted us all with a nice place to go "where everybody knows your name." We all want that special place where we feel connected. Let your business connect a whole community from employees to customers to vendors. View all these people as partners in a bigger and more important mission.

Smart businesspeople today view customers, suppliers, stockholders, employees and those who have heard of us as partners. They are not merely customers, but they are partners who help us to achieve a much bigger goal than simply enhancing our bottom line. In fact, if focus on our bottom line is the sole motive, it can be missed completely. This is due to a perception of an uncaring attitude on the part of potential customers.

We can think of community as more than a geographical place. We are drawn to those with similar interests and desires wherever they happen to be. Geographical differences are melting as technology shines its rays of sunshine into our lives.

IntelliQuest Information Group released a study recently which states 62 million US adults were online in the 4^th Quarter of 1997. This growing number of people are generally highly educated, active in many areas and have higher disposable income. In other words---pay attention! If your business is not involved in e-business (which includes e-commerce and more) you are already behind. You are missing the important learning curve and education that has to take place to learn how to maximize this current surge in business and world community.

Another development recently will effect your business. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has settled on a standard for the hotly-contested 56K standard. Previously x2 and 56Kflex were competing and non-compatible technologies for this faster modem speed. Now the new standard will be called "V.90" and will provide faster access to information with download speeds up to 56Kbps and upload speeds up to 33.6Kbps.

So what does this mean to your business? It means you have to get into e-business. More and more people will purchase 56K modems with the new V.90 standard. They will spend more time in a community online and be willing and eager to spend dollars there vs. traditional channels due to savings, convenience and a sense of community.

Here are some key marketing steps you can take to blend the best of community marketing and technology to boost your bottom line:

1. Use the power of technology to network your community as a virtual office. All of your community should be able to access various company documents and news online. Let your employees see what is happening in your company through articles, press releases, memos and more on line. Allow potential customers to learn about what you do and how you can help solve their problems by creative articles and examples online. Let suppliers know how to reach you easier and get vital, needed information to you faster and easier. Not only will you get a strong message out to important partners in your virtual community, but you’ll also save huge amounts of money doing business online vs. sending documents through the mail and overnight courier.
2. Develop your "digital nervous system" to serve you and your partners. Bill Gates of Microsoft is promoting the concept of the digital nervous system. You can use your technology to access vital information about suppliers, customers, the bigger world and more. Tie into the Net with faster access to learn faster what is happening in your relevant world. Your competitors are doing it and it is time to wake up and smell the microchips!
3. Learn networking skills---both kinds! Harvey Mackay, author of the best-seller Swim with the Sharks without being Eaten Alive, talks about networking. Harvey makes a point to stay in touch with people and keep an elaborate system of information on them. He does this through a combination of Rolodex cards and a contact manager. As you meet people learn about what they like, their families and their interests then record that in your contact manager. This information does take time to record, but it provides enormous benefits! Once it is recorded, use the other kind of networking, the technological kind. Stay in touch via e-mail and online chats. Have your Website stocked full of useful information for your community. Make sure it has information that they find relevant rather than just a bunch of words about how wonderful you think you are. Word to the wise: They don’t care what you’ve done. They do care what you can do for them!
4. Work online. Use your modem as a tool. Wired magazine recently talked about modems when it stated that one modem is worthless. Two modems begin to add value. A network of modems provides links to enormous wealth. A modem is more than $200 worth of plastic and electronics. It is a tool for generating billions, when properly networked into a community. The online world is vibrant, active, changing and will make billions for those ready for e-business. Get online and work it regularly.
5. Use the right tools. Get a laptop for all mobile professionals in your firm. They should be able to reach both you and your customers easily and quickly from wherever they happen to be. Being out of the office is no excuse in today’s world. Consider the use of video conferencing. Vista Imaging in Belmont Califonia (www.vistaimaging.com) provides a camera called ViCam which provides some of the best color transmissions you’ll find today. Because it connects through the parallel port of your computer, it is faster and easier to follow than many other cameras on the market today. Real time pictures and video of a customer and employee can enhance the sense of community.
6. See what others are doing with virtual communities. We often can learn a lot when we step outside our own industry and see what others are doing right. Check out www.arizonadoctors.com and see how patients are able to connect with the right health care practitioner in Arizona. Look at www.Disneyblast.com for an example of how Disney uses "D-mail" with animated stickers and sound, games and education to keep the attention of children. Other children’s sites include www.topkids.com. This provides more community presence for children in an environment where it is safe and secure. For manufacturers check out www.win.net/~chesapeake/ for information on manufacturing and distribution. It is a great source of information with articles and current trends in that field. Finally look at www.aocn.aurora.edu/ to see how a community, Aurora, Illinois, provides information on government and city services, economic development, events, education, business and more. This geographical community is tapping into a global virtual community.
7. Tap into the power of Newsgroups. This is the Web’s secret storehouse of wealth. Most people are familiar with the World Wide Web. However, newsgroups provide an equally abundant source of information and community contact. Using your browser, go into the vast array of groups available and see what is out there. Whatever service or product you’re providing, you’ll find that there is some group that discusses those areas of interest to you. Find out what people are saying about you behind your back. Learn what they are saying about your competitors. A newsgroup monitor weekly is a good idea for any business serious about competitive intelligence and customer service.

A sense of community is vital for effective marketing. With the advent of the Internet and other technologies, we can extend that community farther than every before. Those who embrace the virtual community will enjoy enormous benefits including profitability, enhanced learning and better service.

Terry Brock is an internationally recognized professional speaker, consultant and author in the fields of business productivity, technology and marketing. His is a syndicated columnist for Business Journals across America and can be reached at 407-363-0505 or by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com.